


at least we have each other

by sapphicflower



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, Post Season 3, Wholesome, mild internalised homophobia, robin is a wise gay, the gays have a chat, there will be come Crying and Feelings, this is purely mlm and wlw solidarity content!, this was honestly just me ranting about my own gay frustrations, will the wise seeks some more gay wisdom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-06-29 07:36:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19825516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicflower/pseuds/sapphicflower
Summary: "He laughed nervously and placed a hand on the back of his neck. “Ah, right… I just uh … well Steve and you were talking once in Dustin’s kitchen when you came over that time … and uh – well I might’ve heard a little of what you guys were saying.” He paused, as if expecting some sort of scandalised reaction. When there was nothing, he pressed on, still not making eye contact. “Are you … I mean, I know it’s an extremely personal question, and you don't have to. you know. But are you – uh.” He sighed, apparently frustrated with himself. “Are you –”Her heart sank into her gut in an instinctive panic, before it leapt back into her chest as the more rational side of her brain took control. It’s fine. It’s just Will.She placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m … Yeah, Will. I am.” She couldn’t even say it herself. God, this was hard."Or the one in which gay icons Robin and Will support each other and find comfort in knowing that they aren't alone in their battle against the heterosexuals.





	at least we have each other

**Author's Note:**

> this is the wholesome content we deserve goddammit

Hawkins, Indiana was a town that could never be safe from insidious things. It lurked in every nook and cranny of the suburbs, reared its ugly head in the shadows of night and wore the skin of an innocent bystander in the daytime.

Robin was no longer a stranger to the dark underbelly of Hawkins, not by a long shot.

Just this summer she had gotten herself roped into a conspiracy involving Russian spies, where she had cracked a secret Russian code by simply listening to the sounds and matching them with the Russian alphabet. She was detained alongside the idiotic Steve Harrington where they were both drugged and beat up – but were somehow rescued with the help of two literal children. And this didn't even begin to scratch the surface. There was the battle between them and Billy freaking Mayfield who was possessed by a literal demon from the “the Upside Down” (according to what Dustin had said when he was filling her in) _in the middle of the Starcourt Mall._

She still found it hard to believe that all of this happened to her in one summer. And it shocked her even more the way that life continued to go on. Sure, there were journalists and news reporters flooding the streets every now and again, trying to comprehend what in the hell had happened to the missing people of Hawkins, or the destruction of the mall, or the sudden disappearance of the town's rats and pests. But nobody would believe the truth, even if they tried.

Robin tried to avoid the news whenever she can (she did not want to go _back there_ , no sir not today), but she gathered that the whole incident was chalked up to something like a government conspiracy. Which ... wasn't all wrong.

So, yeah. Robin has seen some pretty dark shit. But what was the most jarring was this - school had continued on as usual, and despite the absence of a lot of students who had decided to leave town, some things just remained the same.

"What's that, you little bitch? Gonna run to your boyfriend? Fuckin' homo."

Robin stood still as she stared into her locker, stunned into silence. Her entire world had changed, yet she comes back to school and now she's suddenly transported back to the past, back into her old body, back into the old Robin who was too scared to reveal her secret to anyone – not even to herself. Overhearing people like Matt make the same comments all over again, as if nothing had changed, it made her blood boil.

_That_ , she thought, _is a strong contender for the most insidious thing to happen in Hawkins_. Bigotry.

But she was different now, and bigots like Matt didn’t fucking scare her. Not after everything she’s been through.

She slammed her locker door and spun on her heel in the general direction of Matt’s voice. She saw him from the back and watched as he grabbed the collar of a kid much shorter than him, pulling him close. The kid didn’t seem fazed by the aggression. Although Robin couldn’t see the kid’s face, she was charmed by his ability to not give in. _Good job kid_ , she thought. That didn’t mean she wasn’t intervening though.

“Yo, dingus!” she shouted.

Matt turned around at the taunt, which Robin found amusing. “Well, if it isn’t the skank with the ratty haircut.” 

Matt was a tall guy, almost six feet, and always looked ready for a fight with his cold dark eyes and shoulder length hair. He sat behind her in Maths once, and had made it his life mission to make her life hell. Pulling her hair, kicking her seat, making obscene comments whenever he leaned forward in his seat to talk to her. She got a detention for breaking one of his fingers.

God, she hated him so much. The anger she felt only grew stronger when she saw who he was handling.

Will Byers.

He’s set to leave Hawkins in a few months with his family and Eleven, but had insisted on coming to school for the rest of his time in town to stay with his friends. That was understandable. Robin, to be honest, had only talked to Dustin’s friends on rare occasions. This was usually when she’s hanging out with Steve, who likes to make surprise appearances to Dustin, who also is sometimes hanging out with _his_ friends - namely Lucas, Mike, Max, Eleven and Will.

Dustin and Steve had helped fill her in on everything that had happened to them before she had come along, and Will’s story in particular had utterly broken her heart.

She focused on him now. He was giving her a level look, and one of his eyebrows even raised. _Can you believe this guy?_ he seemed to be saying. It was hard to imagine that he had been through hell and back with that expression on his face. Actually, she supposed that was exactly the face one should have after going through hell and back. She smiled.

“What’s wrong with gay people?” she said instead. The hallway, which had previously held the sounds of people shutting their lockers and heading home, suddenly quietened. There was nothing more intriguing than a taboo question in a school hallway. “I’d like you to give me one valid reason as to why homosexuality is wrong.”

Matt opened his mouth to answer, contempt written on his face, but Will clamped his hand on his mouth before he could say anything. He shot Robin a quick glance and gave her a small smile, which she returned, understanding.

“Actually,” she said slowly, knowing that the attention of a dozen or so students were on her, “I don’t give a shit.” She looked at the people around her, staring at her with open confusion and discomfort. “Hey! Wow that I’ve got everyone’s attention, did you guys know Matt shat himself in fourth period? He sits right behind me, I know–”

“THAT’S NOT FUCKING TRUE!” Matt yelled. Will had tucked his hands in his pockets and was looking at Robin. His gaze was somehow … empowering.

“Will,” she said, ignoring Matt completely. She didn’t even know what to follow up with that.

“Can we talk?” asked Will, answering her unasked question. It was the first thing he had said, and she was surprised at how much older his voice had sounded. Maybe a little deeper than when they had first interacted. 

“Sure,” she said, still ignoring Matt’s yelling and his threats. He seemed too embarrassed to start anything physical, which they both noticed. Will strolled past him leisurely and followed Robin out the doors, where the afternoon sun carpeted the ground in glaring white.

They made their way down the steps and towards the bus stop without saying anything. They had already missed their school bus, so they simply waited for the next bus to arrive and took to sitting on the low brick fence surrounding their school.

“Thanks for stepping in,” Will said as they sat down.

“It really isn’t a big deal,” she said. Crap, did that sound too insensitive? Maybe it was a big deal for him. “Uh,” she added, “I just mean that it didn’t cost me anything, you know? It was just the right thing to do. And after everything we’ve seen, it definitely wasn’t the hardest.”

He nodded at this, and seemed to be thinking hard about something. His lips kept parting and closing, as if he wanted to say something.

“If you wanna say something, just say it. I won’t judge.”

He laughed nervously and placed a hand on the back of his neck. His eyes were stuck to his lap. “Ah, right… I just uh … well Steve and you were talking once in Dustin’s kitchen when you came over that time … and uh – well I might’ve heard a little of what you guys were saying.” He paused, as if expecting some sort of scandalised reaction. When there was nothing, he pressed on, still not making eye contact. “Are you … I mean, I know it’s an extremely personal question, and you don't have to. you know. But are you – uh.” He sighed, apparently frustrated with himself. “Are you –”

Her heart sank into her gut in an instinctive panic, before it leapt back into her chest as the more rational side of her brain took control. It’s fine. It’s just Will.

She placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m … Yeah, Will. I am.” She couldn’t even say it herself. God, this was hard. She couldn’t even remember what she had been talking about with Steve. Any conversations about Tammy Thompson and girls in general were generally vague enough to pass as innocuous to a bystander in earshot. But Will didn’t hear it the way they had intended, and that only meant one thing to Robin.

Will’s head snapped up to meet hers, as if he hadn’t heard right. There was a strange zap of connection, understanding, and awe that passed through them via the eye contact. Robin pulled her hand back as if electrocuted and let out a nervous laugh of her own. “Nobody knows,” she whispered, feeling on the verge of tears, “except Steve. And you now, I suppose.”

The kid’s hands were trembling. Robin took them in her hands without even thinking. “Will?” she asked. He turned his eyes back on his hands. “Will are you alright?”

“How did you know?” he asked, quiet. She almost didn’t catch it.

How could she even answer this question? It felt so big, so all encompassing. She wasn’t good at giving advice or sharing her life story with anyone she didn’t consider a friend. But there was something about Will, something that they shared, that made her feel stronger, wiser, older. She didn’t have any experience in that department herself and clearly wasn’t an expert on sexuality. But she thought she owed him some encouragement, some support, the same way that Steve had supported her in that gross toilet stall at Starcourt.

“I think I always did,” she said, and gripped his hands tighter. “I only actually admitted it to myself a few years back. Do you know Tammy Thompson?”

Will looked at her then. “Jonathan mentioned her once. Said she wanted to join one of the band clubs as a lead vocalist, and his group rejected her because she doesn’t have the voice for punk rock. Why are you–? OOOOH!”

“Yeah.”

“Tammy Thompson? Really? Doesn’t she want to go to Nashville?”

“Ugh, you sound just like Harrington. She has dreams, okay? Dreams!” Robin put her hands over face in embarrassment, but also relished in the sound of Will’s laughter. “Hey, really though, listen to me.” She took her hands from her face and stared him in the eye, her expression becoming serious. “Take your time with yourself. There’s nothing wrong with you. Your feelings are beautiful and they’re strong. But they’re also caged inside of you. You can’t shove them far away, or get a bigger lock, because when they get released – and they will one day – you will lash out, whether you like it or not. Life is a little unfair, Will. But that’s life’s problem, and not yours. You got that?”

Holy – did she just say that? It felt like such a weight off of her shoulders. Her head became clearer and sounds became sharper. She was right, wasn’t she? Who she loved wasn’t something she needed to _fix_ , and it sure as hell wasn’t anyone’s business either.

When she looked over at Will, she could see him holding back tears. “Robin … I know that we’ve only just met … but you’re the only one who knows about me. Do you understand that? You’re the _only_ one…” He swiped his face with the back of his hands and Robin found that, miraculously, the tears had gone. “I think I’ve known for all my life too,” he said. Then, after he took a deep breath and looked around him to check if anyone was close by or watching them, “… That I’m gay.”

The word stuck in the air between them. They both sharply inhaled, then exhaled.

_Gay._ It was a heavy word, but it clung to them, it bound them together somehow.

“Gay…” Robin repeated. “I could never bring myself to use the word.” Will looked at her with an expression that said, _Really? Not even with Steve?_ She gave a breathy laugh. “Will, I am gay too. If that wasn’t obvious. God, that feels good. Doesn’t that feel good?”

He simply grinned in return and tilted his head up to catch some of the sun’s light. “Gay means happy right?”

“Damn right it does,” she said. “Will, can I ask you something? Why did Matt call you a homo?”

Will kept his eyes closed as he faced the sun but his smile disappeared. “He thought I was dating Mike.”

“Mike?”

“Mike Wheeler. Nancy’s brother?”

Ah, so it is about Mike Wheeler. "Oh yeah, right, I know. Is he your – well, do you like him?” Robin knew a little about Will’s group, but she knew enough to conclude that they couldn’t have been dating, not when Mike was so in love with Eleven.

“I used to,” he admitted, tilting his head down so his face was cast in shadow again, “but then we grew up and he fell head over heels for Eleven.” She heard the sadness, the jealousy, but said nothing. Will must have noticed too, because he added a little hastily, “Nothing against El though! She’s really cool and they both really care for each other. It’s just …” He trailed off.

Robin paused. “You feel robbed.” It was a statement. It was something based on her own experiences, and they both heard the twang of bitterness that singed the words. “It feels like you woke up and realised, _this world is following the rules of some handbook I didn’t know existed, where boys love girls and girls love boys_. And you’re somehow on the outside, looking in but never able to enter.”

Will grabbed her hand, because Robin was suddenly tearing up. Neither of them brushed the tears away. Robin continued: “Yeah. I get that.”

“Who said we ever had to go in?” Will said, scooting closer towards her. “We can make our own handbook, our own rules. I get to paint my nails and we can make fun of each other’s crushes, and we can wear rainbow bracelets and make fun of everyone else who isn’t a part of our club. And we can finally play some freaking D’n’D!”

For reasons unknown to her, Robin burst into laughter, which made Will laugh, which made them both laugh even more hysterically until they were clinging to each other. It wasn’t even that funny of a scenario. She could picture and a handful of faceless people playing some sort of game in a cozy tavern far separated from the outside world. It was just freeing to hear. It was like a lifeboat, to hold on to the other, to feel secure in knowing you weren’t alone.

When they pulled apart, Robin said “Thank you” at the same time Will said, “Thank you for everything.” They gave each other watery smiles.

“I guess you’re gonna have to be one of my best friends from here on out,” she said, meaning for it to sound like a joke but having it end up sounding sincere anyway. She thought about Steve and Dustin, about her saying _How many children are you friends with?_ and she smiled despite herself. “Keep in touch with me when you leave, alright? You aren’t alone.” It sounded more like, _We_ aren’t alone, and they both knew it. 

Will nodded and stood up. Their bus was here. “Thanks, Robin,” he said, taking her hand as she rose from the fence, “I know that now.”

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if Will and Robin seem OOC, it's my first time writing fanfic and all of this was written in the span of like three hours because I was in a bit of a passionate fit and didn't bother proofreading oops. i also don't know how american schools work but im guessing y'all have different buses coming to your school that take different routes to your home
> 
> i really do think that Robin and Will ought to interact more and spill their beans to each other, that would clear my skin and water my crops
> 
> anyway, thank you for reading! it would mean a lot to me if you comment or give it a kudos or whatever but most importantly i hope y'all enjoyed the read! it's some warm gay soup for your soul is what it is


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